Bring Bill Dodds to Your School!

Bill Dodds—a critically acclaimed poet and novelist from Seattle—has written tons of funny poems loved by kids. Bill leads a skills-oriented workshop that engages and inspires students to write poetry. He will custom build a program according to your goals.

Home: Seattle, WA

Travels to: Bill travels anywhere he is invited, especially the Pacific Northwest!

Bills poems appear in: Miles of Smiles; Kids Pick the Funniest Poems; A Bad Case of the Giggles; No More Homework! No More Tests!

Rates

One-Day Visit: $750 plus travel and other expenses
Two-Day Residency: $1,300 plus travel and other expenses
One-Week Residency: $3,000 plus travel and other expenses
Evening Event: $200 (available only when you book a school visit)

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Biography

Bill Dodds loves to make kids laugh as they learn (a skill the father of three sharpened over many years during homework time). He's a full-time freelance writer whose poems have been included in the highly popular Kids Pick the Funniest Poems, A Bad Case of the Giggles, and Miles of Smiles anthologies. A national columnist and magazine editor, Bill is the author of more than two dozen books, including the critically acclaimed middle-grade novel My Sister Annie.

Event Description

Let this award-winning children's poet help your students' creativity soar as he promotes vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation—what a sneaky guy! You can work closely with Bill to create a poetry-based lesson. He’ll teach students about the importance of language skills during a highly engaging event. Lessons may include a poetry performance, modeling, guided practice, and individual practice.

He'll share the real story behind "Mrs. Stein" (his poem that's become a standard at speech contests nationwide). As the author of some of kids’ favorite poems—including "Could Have Been Worse"—Bill knows what kids like, and he has a delightful time mixing it with what kids need.

Sample Poem

My First Poem

This week at school in Language Arts,
We studied poetry.
"It's your turn now," Ms. Cratchett said,
"To write a poem for me."
So here I sit, it's after school,
I'm at the kitchen table.
I want to get this over with
As quickly as I'm able.
Now, every poet uses words like
"Lo," "Forsooth," "sublime."
The reason, if you ask me,
Is they need them for a rhyme.
So they come up with weird old words
That no one uses now,
That make the students cough and gag
And teachers say, "Oh, wow!"
Here's a few more antique words:
"Bemoan," "methinks," "foray."
I'm not sure what they really mean,
I think I'll get an A.
Well, that's enough, I'm done with this,
I hope you didn't choke;
This poem might be a classic
Years after we both croak.

© 1991 by Bill Dodds. Reprinted from Kids Pick the Funniest Poems (Meadowbrook Press).

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Testimonials

“After reading some of his work, Bill got the children out of their seats and involved them in an oral reading of one of his poems. The activity was well organized and highly engaging for the children. By the time he left the classroom, the children wanted to continue writing poems. He had inspired them! It was obvious to us that Bill was able to adapt his presentation quickly to meet the need of different groups. We were also impressed with how truly respectful Bill treated the children. We highly recommend Bill Dodds."
—Patricia Gloth, Lisa Vander Yacht, Mary Miller, Tim McCarthy, and Amy Branch; Evergreen Elementary School, Mountlake Terrace, WA

"Bill Dodds came into my class and had my students laughing and learning from the get-go. The presentation was quick-moving and interspersed with audience participation, a sense of fun, and personal history and knowledge of the learning process. Bill quickly picked up on students' answers and worked them into the presentation. I liked the way he spoke of use of language and vocabulary as important tools. The more astute students were nodding their heads in agreement and the more laid-back types were listening because this guy obviously could be funny and smart, too."
—Arliss B. Moll, English Crossing Elementary School, Lakewood, WA

"Bill's presentation was both engaging and substantive. His rapport with the students was excellent. With hilarious antics that made his message memorable, he compared a limited vocabulary to the boring first level of a video game. His visit to our classroom was delightful and practical. I highly recommend his presentations to other teachers."
—Mary Johnson, St. Alphonsus School, Seattle, WA

"While Bill Dodds is an accomplished writer in many genres, he chose to have my students work with poetry. His lesson included a set to capture their interest, modeling, guided practice, and individual practice. Using a variety of techniques to include the students, he demonstrated the writing process, incorporating prewriting, drafting, proofreading, revising, and publishing. Bill encouraged maximum participation for maximum success. His enthusiasm for writing and children was obvious throughout the workshop. I highly recommend Bill Dodds as a presenter at a young authors' conference."
—Helen Gamman, English Crossing Elementary School, Lakewood, WA

“The teachers and students loved him! They learned how to use a poem they already know to easily write a new one. I would definitely recommend him to any school.”
—Joie Ganley, Longview Elementary School, Moses Lake, WA

If you’re interested in booking an event with Bill Dodds, please fill out the Speaker Visit Query form or contact our Author Appearance Manager at 800-338-2232, ext. 105, or admin@authorsinschools.com. We look forward to working with you.